Away With the Wind
by Writerdragon
Summary: NetNavis all around the world are being kidnapped; stolen from their friends and families, and there is not a single trace left of them. No one knows who it is that's stealing these Navis, but the public has a name for them: Snatchers. Of course, the Officials are getting on the job, and what they find makes them sick. And what does the Ayanokouji family has to do with all of this?
1. Snatchers

**Another story was in my head and, of course, I end up writing it. Damn it. Oh well.**

* * *

_Away With the Wind_

Snatchers

I

"Yaito-_sama_, we really _shouldn't_ be doing this."

"Hush, Glyde."

Yaito knew that they shouldn't, but she did it anyways. She could get in a lot of trouble with her father. She snuck down the darkened hallways, glancing around for any of the mansion's man-servants or maids. The coast was clear, and she darted off like a silent mouse. Glyde, in the form of a hologram, stood on her shoulder, frowning at the situation.

"Couldn't you just ask Father for it?" he asked.

"Glyde, you know Daddy doesn't just let me take them," Yaito snapped softly, stopping to glance around. "He never let's _anyone_ touch them."

"So it's perfectly okay to steal them, hmm?"

Sassy-Glyde had returned with a vengeance. She gave her butler-Navi a sour look before scurrying away to her father's locked office door.

"Glyde, I swear to God, if you keep this up, I'll put that video of you playing your air violin all over the Net," she hissed like a snake.

Perfect blackmail material: Glyde playing his air violin whilst listening to some classical music composer. She had caught him doing this multiple times before, only this time she had recorded him doing it. Glyde clamped his mouth shut, and crossed his arms over his rounded chest.

"And besides, I'm not stealing—I'm borrowing."

Glyde muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Absolutely nothing, Yaito-_sama_."

"I thought so."

She jiggled the doorknob to her father's office, and frowned. Locked. Well, there was one other way to open it. With the speed of a striking viper, and grabbed her PET, and flashed it in front of an electronic lock on the wall.

"Plug in, Glyde, and open the door."

He couldn't believe he was going to do this, but he had to. Blasted his NetOp for having such material on him. A few short seconds later, he was in the comp of the electronic keypad, and stood there for a moment before approaching the pallet filled with little flashing buttons, and searched for the button that would open the door. And it did with a little _click_. Yaito slipped into her father's office, and her Navi reappeared as a hologram projected on her shoulder.

"If you are to do this, Yaito-_sama_, please be quick."

Her father's office was large and sprawling—a high ceiling with numerous little etchings along the sides of the upper-most walls. A large window was closed, but revealed a beautiful scene of the mansion's large backyard. There were a few or so acrylic paintings of a forest and plains that he had acquired from Amerope sometime ago—before she even existed. Her father's desk was equally as large, and it was probably filled with paperwork and his computer just the same—only data files that Glyde would occasionally aid in.

Yaito was not allowed in here without her father's approval.

"Glyde, quit your whining," Yaito snapped.

She shuffled to her father's desk, and opened up one of the drawers, and glanced in. She repeated that process until she could not find it. It was not in her father's desk.

"Where is it?"

Glyde glanced around, anxious and nervous. He didn't want to get caught, because he knew that he would be chewed out by Father if they were found. Not in an overly mad way, but in a "Glyde, I'm disappointed with you" way. Yaito would receive the same treatment, and both would hang their heads in shame. It would then repeat the process (Yaito doing whatever the hell she wanted, and Glyde complaining about it in her ear with mild distress). Yaito moved to another drawer, opened it, looked in, and closed it.

"There, it's not there," Glyde whispered. "Let's go."

And "it" being a very rare chip. Her father had this chip that he always hid from her. She did not know why; she seldom saw it, and out of childlike curiosity, she wanted to use it.

"Relax, Glyde," Yaito said, glancing around the room. "It has to be here . . ."

Glyde frowned. "Oh, goodness," he whispered. He knew that one of the man-servants or maids would enter this room at any moment, and all would be lost.

Yaito stared at her Navi's hologram, and narrowed her eyes at him. "Just a final look-though," she said, scurrying across the carpeted floor, and searched the nearby table's drawers. She then let out a long, deep sigh. "You're right, Glyde, it's not here. Let's go."

Glyde let out a relieved sigh. "Thank heavens," he said softly. He thanked his lucky stars that they were leaving, which meant that they wouldn't get caught.

She approached the door, silently, and closed—and locked—the office door, before rushing off. It was a late Sunday day, nothing to do, no one to go out with, and Yaito thought that today would be a perfect day to search for this chip. But, atlas, it was not to be. However, not finding this chip was going to drive her crazy all day today. Of course, why would her father hide it from her? When she asked her Navi, she got a shrug of the shoulders in return. Helpful.

* * *

Yaito had it all. Everything. All she had to do was snap her fingers, and it would appear before her. Her father had lavished her every since she was born. Hand-made toys made in Germany, limousines, the best food from around the world, and the like. She knew why: it was to make up for the fact that she did not have a mother. Her father never spoke of her mother, but when he did, he told her that she had died. And that was it. There were no pictures of her, no stories, no nothing of her. When she was young, she could get away with believing that, but not anymore. She was older and wiser now, and she knew better.

But she didn't mind. She lived the high-life, was rich, had whatever she wanted, had a great father, friends, and Navi, and she couldn't ask for anything less (however, she could always ask for more).

Though, she did wonder where her mother went when she died. Where was she buried? Yaito really wanted to know, but her father never told her, and seemed to become peeved when she did. Why he would be angry, she didn't know either. After a while, she just learned not to ever mention her mother in front of him. When she would confront Glyde about the situation, and not even he would know—he would just repeat what her father said and shrugged his shoulders. She still wondered, however.

For as long as she could remember, it was her, her father, and Glyde. The Ayanokouji trio facing the world. Her father's grandparents had died earlier than what was expected, and her father didn't have any notable siblings (well, there were the distant cousins in the real estate business that would occasionally come over for an awkward dinner and would result in Glyde glaring at the womanizing booze-hound for a Navi cousin that didn't understand bullshit for fact and make stabs at him that he didn't understand—he was a slow-witted partier and his NetOp had a horrifying hyena-laugh). So, it was just the three of them. And it would be two if she wasn't careful—Navis were missing; they just up and vanished. Thus, Yaito had been utterly paranoid about letting Glyde out of the home. The NetPolice were out what the world public had now called the "Snatchers."

* * *

Here is akin to how it went:

It was a lovely day, in both the real world and in the Cyberworld. The Navis were out, buying things for their selves, for their Operators, or for their lovers. The two Navis that were out were just out, prowling for girls and the like. Maybe get a few drinks as well; the two male NetNavis, just hanging out, having a blast as their Operators did the same. The workweek had finished, and this was the day that they had been waiting oh-so long for. They weren't really thinking; they just wanted a beautiful girl to hang on their arms, and they knew that—perhaps—they could find a girl to latch on to. Late into the night, they stumbled out of a bar, laughing maybe a little too loudly and they clung to each other for dear life and, to their sadness, they had not found a girl. Those who they did approach were off-put by their stupidity and drunkenness.

"Well, fine, be that way," one half-called to one very annoyed female Navi. "Y-you en't not that very pretty anyways."

The female that was walking away turned sharply, let out a gasp, and snarled: "At least I know proper grammar!"

"Pfft, whatever," the haughty one sneered. "Whore."

"C'mon, man," the other calmer one said. "Be nice."

Just then, a beautiful female Navi stepped from the shadows, and watched the two males with a secretive gaze. One caught her eyes, and stared, as if he was entranced. He motioned to his friend, wanting him to see what he saw. Both looked, and she smiled softly, waggling her index finger in a come-hither way, and slinked back into the shadows. They followed like two dogs following a turkey leg tied to a string, and entered the backstreets of the cyber-city.

"Where is she?"

"I'dunno."

Both were lost in the back where nothing but trash and hungry viruses lingered. The female appeared, smiling softly, her blue eyes almost florescent in the darkness. That was when a screen appeared at her right, and showed an equally-beautiful woman with silky brown hair and bright brown eyes.

"Hello," she said.

The male Navis were entranced by her beauty. One stepped forward, the more bold one, and smiled widely.

"H-hello, ma'am," he would have said with a mild hiccup.

The other one moved in front of his friend. "Hey," he would have also greeted.

"How are the both of you?"

"Fine, ma'am."

"Yeah, fine, totally."

The brunette woman chuckled softly. "Well, that's great," she said, a chipper voice filtered their hearing sensors.

The female Navi was silent, but smiled on. The quiet type—the male Navis like that.

"Well, you two looked like fine lads," the human stated. "You know, my Navi is looking for a date, and my friend and her Navi are also looking for a date. Say, why don't you handsome boys come with us, and we'll call your NetOps to see if they would like to meet us. Would you like to come along?"

Both slow-witted NetNavis could have not been happier at the situation. A beautiful woman with a beautiful Navi was asking them out on a date, and they were also looking for a date for their friend's Navi and her NetOp.

"Sure, yeah!"

"Yes, we would like to."

The human smiled. "Then come along, now," she said, waving her hand in a beckoning motion. "They would _love_ to meet you two."

Giddy with boy-like excitement, they followed the silent Navi, and were never seen again. Their NetOps won't notice this until early next morning, but by then it would have been way too late. They call the NetPolice, and nothing shows up, and there are very few witnesses. Even those who were witnesses don't know what happened; they said the same thing: they both went into an alleyway and didn't come out. The NetOps would then blame themselves for their recklessness, and finally agree to the fact that they probably would never see their Navis alive again. And they didn't.

* * *

Or, here was another scenario:

A lovely female Navi is running errands for her NetOp. The Amerope Net is especially busy today, for it is a few days away from Valentine's Day, and this particular Navi wanted to surprise her boyfriend and dear NetOp. There was a little smile on her face as she carried her precious items in heavy bags, and she couldn't wait for tomorrow to come so she could give them their gifts. But before she could do that, she had to finish her NetOp's simple request, and rushes to a shop to finish it. Whilst she was in line, a male Navi approaches her. He is tall, robust, and very handsome, and she couldn't help but to stare.

"Hello, how are you today, little miss?" he would have asked.

"Fine, sir," she would have responded.

"You are very lovely, do you know that?"

"O-oh, sir, that is very kind of you—and flattering—but I already have a boyfriend."

The male Navi blinked, and then laughed at her assumption. "What? Oh, no, my dear," he said, waving his hand down. "I'm not hitting on you."

"Then, may I help you?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Yes, and?"

"Have you ever considered modeling?"

Her face turned a lovely shade of pink, and she let out a nervous laugh. "Oh, no, I'm not pretty enough," she said, buying what she needed, and stepped out of the line.

"Nonsense," he said. "You are what we're looking for."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. You see, we need another model, and I'm pretty sure my boss will like such a fair beauty such as yourself. Would you like to come with me and let me show you off to them?"

She considered this for a moment, not sure if she could trust this stranger. She had heard horror stories about girls following these types of scenarios and just vanished off the face of the Earth. The female Navi clung to her bag, and stared hard at him.

"I'm not sure."

"Just a few moments of your time," he assured. "If you're not the one, we'll let you leave. But if you are, we would like to do a photo-shoot. How about it?"

He seemed nice enough, and such a nice Navi couldn't be lying to her. She agreed, and followed the Navi with an innocent smile. It is a while before her NetOp becomes worried, and she would call out to her Navi, only to get silence in return. When the human looked upon the screen of her PET, she noticed the words that no NetOp would ever want to see on their screen:

_Signal lost._

She becomes frantic, calling the NetPolice, her Navi's boyfriend, and his NetOp, and begs for help. The boyfriend aids in the police work, desperate to find his girl. With a little research, the cops find the items that she had bought resting on the floor of a remote building, and give it to the trio desperate to find her. By now, it is Valentine's Day. The NetOp of the lost Navi cries herself to sleep, her Navi's boyfriend's NetOp is by her side at all times, and the boyfriend searches the Net well into the night, and the cycle continues day after day.

* * *

Glyde was her Navi, and she felt the undying urge to protect him, as he did for her. He had protected her for so long now; when he had materialized in the real world, and protected her from the viruses and continued to protect her. Now it was her turn. These Snatchers would never touch _her_ Glyde. She could only imagine the horror of losing someone so dear. And what happened to those NetNavis? God would only know.

"Yaito-_sama_?"

She glanced at him, and arched a brow. "Yeah?" she said.

"Are you . . . alright?"

"Yeah, just fine." There was a pause. "Hey, Glyde."

"Yes, Yaito-_sama_?"

"Is today the party?"

"Yes indeed it is."

"Thought so."

And the party was just a normal get-together among the wealthy where they would talk about business and politics. Yaito loved those parties—she didn't know why, she just did. They could be just a little boring, but most of the time they were entertaining. Her father would always spend time with his friends, and they would drink high-end wine and smoke expensive cigars whilst they talked about something—Yaito wasn't allowed in the lounge, so she didn't know. Not even Glyde knew—well, he was her Navi, and no longer her father's, thus he didn't know much about what their father did anymore.

"At what time again?" Yaito asked.

"Three hours from now," Glyde answered swiftly.

"Right . . ."

He stared at her for a little while, silent. "Yaito-_sama_, are you thinking about that chip?"

"Yes, and other things."

"Other things?"

"You know—the Snatchers."

"_Oh_."

They were all over the news—it was no wonder why she would think about them. Not only was there a constant fear of him being kidnapped, but also Roll, Gutsman, and Rockman—and anyone else that was a Navi. It was scary times right now. Every time that "Have You Seen This Navi?" screen would appear on the television news or the Cyberworld's billboards, Yaito's stomach would become uneasy. The news station even had a ten minute period where they would broadcast the missing Navis (only in their country; other countries did the same, so she heard), and post contact information about who to contact if one was to find them. None had been found, and the list seemed to be growing.

"Let's not think about such things," he said, clasping his hands together and offered her a weary smile. "Come, now, let's pick out a dress for you and prepare for the party, okay?"

"Yeah, sure."

* * *

Preparing for a party like this required at least an hour to get everything together. Yaito loved this—dressing up; she had ever since she was a little girl. Putting on the make-up and jewelry made her feel more like an adult woman. Glyde would just sit and wait—maybe read a book. He didn't have to do much; it was not like he had to put on a tuxedo or anything like that. He could, all Yaito had to do was download a clothing chip that her company had created recently, and wha-la, he was a suited gentleman. That took a few seconds to do, and that could be done at anytime.

As Yaito thought, Glyde was reading—he sat in his chair, perfectly reclined, and read from a screen that he held in his lap. He would occasionally use his index finger to scroll down the page he was on, or move it to the left to "turn" the page. A maid, her favorite one, was helping her prepare.

"Whatcha reading?"

Glyde turned up, and blinked his red eyes. "_Paradise Lost_," he answered before turning back to his novel.

Yaito arched a brow. "That's an old one," she stated as she fitted her wrist with a necklace. She had read it a while ago, and had referred it to Glyde.

"Yes, but still very good," Glyde said.

The maid glanced at the Navi. "Never read that one," she said, turning back to ironing Yaito's dress. "Is it good?"

"Oh, yes," Glyde answered, flipping the page, "if you like epic poems from more than three hundred years ago."

"Oh, then no," the maid answered as she frowned at the thought.

Yaito chuckled as she brushed out her long blonde hair. That was when she started to braid her hair in a long, thick French braid. It had been silent for a long while before the maid spoke:

"Did you hear about two other Navis being stolen?"

Yaito and Glyde snapped their heads up.

"Who?" Glyde semi-demanded, forgetting his novel as he stared at the maid.

"Two male Navis," the maid answered. "Witnesses say they were drunk and stumbled into an alleyway, and were never seen after that."

"When was this?" Yaito asked, and she could hear Glyde sigh in relief in the background.

"A few days ago," the maid answered. "The NetPolice are still searching for them. There was an update today: nothing new."

Glyde straightened his form. "Well, that is depressing," he said. "But, I know how horrible this sounds, but I'm glad that no one we knew."

"Like Roll," Yaito said, a broad smirk on her face.

His face reddened briefly as the maid let out a small snicker, and he returned to his reading, a blush still etched on his face. He honestly had a school-boy crush on Roll ever since he met her all those years back. Yaito seriously wished her Navi would grow a backbone and ask her out before someone else snatched her up.

"But in all seriousness, I feel sorry for the NetOps."

Yaito's smirk vanished from her lips, and she let out a little sigh.

* * *

**Pay attention to the chip Yaito was looking for. ;) It'll become very important.**


	2. Party for the Rich

**I don't think I told anyone this, but this is manga version with hints of anime and game in it.**

* * *

Party for the Rich

II

Glyde tugged at his white collar as he stared at himself in the mirror. "I don't look like a snob, do I?" he asked quickly.

Yaito turned, staring at her Navi's hologram that was by her make-up mirror. He wore a soft purple suit with coattail that dangled and swayed as he moved, and along with that, he wore a white undershirt and sported a pair of white gloves. His fingers tugged at his purple bow tie, and he looked at her, expecting a reply.

"You look fine," Yaito answered. "And what about me?"

Her ruffled dress fell in beautiful layers around her body, and stopped short just above the ankle. A pearl necklace hung elegantly around her neck, and her fingertips tugged at them absentmindedly. Her hair fell in silky waves that splashed across her back.

"Beautiful, as always, Yaito-_sama_," Glyde stated, turning back to stare at his reflection.

"Of course I am." She joined him, staring at her reflection in the mirror, and smoothed back her hair on her head. "So," she said in a sing-song voice.

"Yes?"

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Tell who what?"

"You know—a perfect little pink Navi that you're in love with her."

Glyde looked up at his NetOp, frowning, and his brows were knitted. "Yaito-_sama_," he said, his voice somber.

"Oh, c'mon, Glyde, you can't continue to love her from afar," she said, taking a seat in her chair, and stared at her Navi. "Grow a backbone and just tell her."

"It's not that simple," he whispered, running his hands down his chest to smooth of his suit.

She dramatically rolled her eyes, and slapped her hand to her face. "God, Glyde, you're _so stupid_ at times," she muttered under her breath. "You've been like this—you're always like this. The minute you like someone, you never say it, and you worship them from afar. I don't understand that."

"Emotions don't make sense, and thus is life," Glyde responded.

"What do you fear? Losing her?"

"Of course."

That made sense. "Well, what if I tried to figure her out, and figure out her feelings for you?"

"No need."

"And why is that?"

"I'll figure it out myself."

"Yes, because that has worked out _so good_ this far."

He shot her a seconds-long glare before he let out a little sigh. "Yaito-_sama_, please," he begged, eyes wide and jaw stiff. "Just forget it—put it out of your mind."

She didn't have time for this—it was time to leave. Yaito stood up, smoothed out her dress, and snatched up her PET. "Alright, Glyde, let's go," she said around a deep huff.

His hologram flickered off from the desk by the mirror, and appeared on her shoulder, diligent and silent.

* * *

Parties like these were only for the wealthy. Sharply-dressed waiters and waitresses carrying little platters filled with little bite-sized food with toothpicks stuck in them and wine glasses with clear, bubbling liquor that Yaito was not allowed to touch shuffled around on the floor, offering their continents to those who wanted them. Beautiful women with equally beautiful men from all around were here. There was a fashion couple from Amerope that were here in Japan to show-case their clothing, and were looking for someone to allow their product in their stores. There was a man that was in the business industry that would help young entrepreneurs start their businesses, and then in a few years, help them sell their ideas for big cash bucks. All sorts of people came to these parties. At most of these parties, Yaito would allow Glyde to mingle with the Navis of those humans who were here, and he would talk to them, drink some Cyber-wine, and, perhaps, play poker. But, today, she wanted Glyde to be by her side. He didn't seem to mind.

She kind-of sort-of knew that this party would be a little more boring than most. She didn't feel about talking about politics, that pair of scandalous lovers, of that up and coming NetBattler. Yaito brushed her hair habitually with her hand as she looked out to the crowd.

"Yaito-_sama_?"

"What?"

"You look distant," he stated.

"Oh, yeah," she muttered, letting go of her hair. "Sorry."

"You seem more distant lately."

Yaito let out a hum, and rubbed at her arm. Much to her surprise, she noticed Sabrina Slowey with her live-in girlfriend, Megan Wiggens. Both hailed from England, and why they were here, Yaito did not know why. Back in England, Glyde had a little rivalry that only had a truce (well, to be honest, a semi-truce) during parties like this with Sabrina's Navi, who was named Butler. Mirage, who was Megan's Navi, paralleled to his Operator, and dated Butler. Yaito had not seen them in two years, ever since she moved to Densan city.

"Is my eyes lying, or is that Slowey-_san_ and Wiggens-_san_?"

"You and I have to be both hallucinating at the same time for that to be true," Yaito stated, pulling herself to find the lovely female coupling. She smiled at the two the minute their eyes landed on her. "Hello."

"Yaito? Oh, my God, what a surprise," Sabrina said, smiling, a cigarette held between two fingers. "How are you? And hello, Glyde."

Like magic, Butler's hologram flashed on his operator's shoulder, and he stood there, arms crossed over his chest. Glyde responded indifferently. "Hello, Glyde," the English Navi called in a ho-hum voice.

"Hello, Butler-_san_," Glyde responded with a stiff upper lip.

Butler's look was akin to a tuxedo. His waist slim and his shoulders wide; the Navi's jaw was straight and his eyes were like a feline's. He stared, eyes half-open with little interest in anything going on. He always was bored. Glyde and Butler's rivalry ran as deep and as long as the Mississippi River. Not a single soul had any idea how it started (Glyde pointed to Butler, and Butler pointed to Glyde), but Yaito had an idea (sort of; her other idea was that they just didn't like each other from the get-go): some time ago, Glyde had wanted a pair of golf clubs at an auction, and bid on it until it was just him and Butler. Of course, Glyde was unwilling to spend more (he had a certain amount he couldn't go over), and thus Butler "stole" them right from Glyde's fingertips. Ever since, Yaito's Navi had a distain to the other English Navi. "And he showed them off right in front of me!" Glyde had told her about a month after that incident. "He wouldn't even let me use them!" In which she replied in sarcasm: "Oh, that _bastard_."

And that, as everyone says, became history—both tried their hardest to best the other.

"Oh, come now, you two," Sabrina said, reaching up to brush back a single stray red lock. "Can't you two get along?"

Butler arched a brow to her, arms crossed over his chest and quirked a smile at his NetOp. "I will try, Miss," he said, giving her a little bow.

"Yes, Slowey-_san_," Glyde also stated, bowing to her as well.

The glare they gave each other gave Yaito the idea that it was never, _ever_ going to happen. Sabrina completely missed it.

"Well, it has been a while," Megan said, smiling down at the little blonde. Her hair was black and completely straight, yet her eyes were as green as green could be. "Two years? How have you two been?"

"Great," Yaito answered, and Glyde nodded his head.

Mirage, Megan's Navi, flickered on her shoulder, and smiled. He was a slim thing with blue, black, and white markings along his body. His helmet framed his face perfectly, and it added to his elegance. "Hello, Glyde, Yaito," he called.

Glyde smiled at Mirage, for he actually liked him. "Hello, Mirage," he returned.

They went on like that: just talking to each other about things that they had been up to in the last two years. The loving couple was in pharmaceutical drugs, and they spoke of how they had spread to other branches, and how their stock was going up and up. Yaito spoke about her company and the latest things that were being created and designed; like Navi clothing and the newest game on the market. Glyde would occasionally throw a glare at Butler, and he would return it, and Mirage would grow uneasy.

"Um, darling, would you like to play some poker?" he called, knowing that Glyde and his lover did not see eye-to-eye.

"What? You don't want to stay?" Megan asked her Navi.

"Well, there's a game that we said we would be part of," Mirage stated quickly.

"Oh, is that starting now?" Butler asked, completely taken off-guard. "I forgot about that." He turned to his NetOp. "May I, Miss?"

"Of course, go have fun," Sabrina said. "Just be safe!"

"Of course, Miss."

Their holograms flickered out, and Glyde let out a little snort, glad to see Butler out of his vision. Sabrina rolled her eyes at Glyde's reaction, and then let out a chuckle. "Say, have you two met Yuri Brightoff?" she asked.

Yaito gasped at the name—the head of the best NetNavi programming company in her country was here? At this party? She was right up there with IPC and her family's company. "She's here?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes," Megan answered. "Come, this way. She's a complete doll. Her Navi's a tad strange, but she seems sweet."

Both women shuffled Yaito across the room until they reached another room altogether. There stood a woman in a sleek dress, and in her hand, she had a thin glass of wine. Her brown hair fell in wavy locks across her back and shoulders, and over the right side of her face, only showing a single brown eye. Her skin the softness of milk, and her smile could cause men to trip over their own feet.

"Yaito, this is Yuri Brightoff," Sabrina said, grinning widely. "Yuri, this is Yaito Ayanokouji."

The other older female smiled down at Yaito. "Hello, lovely to meet you," she said, extending a hand to meet Yaito's.

"Lovely to meet you," Yaito returned.

Yuri turned to stare directly at Glyde, who bowed to her. "What a handsome Navi you have," she stated, pulling back to stand tall again.

Glyde thanked her, his face as red as his eyes, but he glanced up and down at her with subtle indifference. Yuri smiled, and on her shoulder, her Navi's hologram appeared, silent and beautiful with blue eyes staring.


	3. Yuri Brightoff

Yuri Brightoff

III

"I have heard so much about your company, Yaito."

The long-haired blonde smiled proudly. "Yeah, well, we know what we're doing," she said with the flick of her wrist.

Sabrina and her girlfriend and left to retrieve a few drinks for themselves, leaving Yaito alone with Yuri, and it was obvious that the two were getting along just fine.

Yuri chuckled, reaching for a glass that a waiter had brought on his little tray. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where your father was," she stated, taking a sip of her wine.

"Um, with his friends, probably smoking and drinking cognac in the backroom," Yaito answered. "I don't go in there. The smoke's too thick for me."

Yuri let out a short laugh, and finished her drink, holding the empty glass between her thumb and middle finger. "Men and their cigars," she chuckled. "My husband liked to smoke when he was alive." She let out a small, sad sigh.

"Oh, I'm sorry. What happened to your husband? Unless I'm getting too personal . . ."

"Oh, no, it is okay," Yuri stated. "Well, my husband and I were driving to get away from life for a while, and when we entered a rural town, we were held up at gun point, and robbed. The man shot my husband. I tried to drive to a hospital, but he died on the way there." She cleared her throat, as if she was trying to hold back her tears, and her Navi placed a holographic hand to her NetOp's cheek.

Yaito frowned. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, suddenly feeling guilty.

"No, it's fine," Yuri said, reaching up to brush a tear from her skin. "Really, it is."

Her Navi was silent, but there was an obvious frown on her face. The blue-eyed Navi then turned to Glyde, who smiled at her, and looked at him up and down, not returning the smile, but gave a nod of acknowledgement. Yuri cleared her throat.

"Oh, enough about me," she said. "I suppose you have heard about the recent Navi abductions."

Yaito nodded her head sharply. "Of course, who hasn't?"

"Well, I am just astonished," Yuri said. "If anyone took my Echo, I would be devastated."

Her Navi, Echo, looked at her, eyes wide and eyebrows raised. She then let out a small smile before returning to having a straight face.

"I would be too," Yaito said, giving a glance to her Navi, who beamed at her. "I'm always paranoid to let Glyde to anything on the Net."

"That is a good way to be," Yuri said. "I always make sure Echo is safe. If she was to be taken, I would call the NetPolice and get every Official known to man to find her."

Yaito nodded, taking in every word the older woman said. It all made sense to her; she would do the same thing for Glyde. "What do you think the reason is?" she asked, running her fingers along the hem of her dress.

"I have no idea," Yuri said, placing the empty glass on a waiter's tray, who stood right beside her, and he scurried off. "But whatever the reason, I know it's not good."

Yaito thought for a moment before speaking again. "Say, your business is in customization programs for Navis," she said. "Since these people have been stealing Navis, do you think they're going to attack you?"

Yuri smiled. "You're a smart little girl," she said. "And, yes, I have considered it. And that is why I have upped security in my company's headquarters. I have to make sure that I'm not vandalized. I think any company that has or creates highly technological devices should be on the look-out. Who knows what will happen."

"Do you think the Officials will get involved?"

"I know they are."

"Really?"

"Yes, where the NetPolice go, the Officials are not too far behind. It is a fact."

True, and no doubt Netto and Enzan would be involved with other world Officials. Probably very soon, she thought.

"Oh, come, let's sit," Yuri said, directing the young girl away from the middle of the room. "There's a spot. A nice couch."

Towards the back of the room, a small, two-person couch sat up against a wall, and situated between two potted plants. Yuri took a seat, and scooted over for Yaito to sit right next to her.

"Well, I do hope the Officials will get involved soon," Yaito said, smoothing out her dress. "It would be horrible if this continues."

"Yes, I know," Yuri said. "You know, I have heard about some ideas, from the NetPolice, about what happens to the Navis."

"R-really?"

"Yes," Yuri continued. "That they sell the Navis."

"To who?"

"Anyone."

"As what?"

"Slaves."

Yaito gasped, and Glyde shivered—Echo had no reaction, as if she had heard this before. Yuri nodded her head gravely. "Tragic, isn't it?"

Yaito had her hands by her mouth, but they dropped, and her mouth was free to speak. "How do you know so much about this?"

The older female blinked her pretty brown eyes. "Well, since I am the head of a major corporation, I have to know what's going on," she stated. "I call the NetPolice all the time to get the recent news. I suggest you do the same."

The little blonde nodded her head. "Yeah, okay, thanks for the advice," she said.

"We'll adhere to it," Glyde stated, clasping his hands together. "Thank you, Brightoff-_san_."

Yuri smiled at the brown and golden Navi. "Well, you are most welcome," she said. "And your name is . . .?"

"Glyde, personal Navi to Yaito-_sama_."

"Right, Glyde, so sorry, I forgot to introduce you to Echo. Echo, meet Glyde. Glyde, meet Echo."

"Hello, Echo-_san_," Glyde greeted, his little hologram flickering over to meet Echo, and where he reached down to kiss her hand.

Echo only nodded, and flashed him a quick smile. Yuri chuckled.

"Why, aren't you a gentleman," she said. "A fine Navi. And excuse Echo, she's not very fond of talking. She barely speaks, only to me."

Glyde only smiled at Yuri and Echo, and gave a nod of his head. To anyone else, they would see a simple smile, but Yaito knew her Navi: he only smiled like that if he was _pretending_ to like the one he was before. Why Glyde disliked Echo and Yuri seemed strange to Yaito, but she kept silent. "That is just fine," he said, flickering back over to his NetOp's shoulder.

Echo shifted in her place, and rested her hands at her sides, utterly silent. Yuri reached up, and pushed back her hair. "Well, Yaito, it has been a pleasure talking to you," she said, "but we must be on our way."

"O-oh, okay," Yaito stated, surprised by the suddenness. "Well, as head of your company, you must be busy. But are you sure you can't stay longer?" The night was so young, and the party was a mere hour old.

"No, I cannot, sadly," Yuri said with a sigh. "I have a lot to do." She stood up, and smoothed out her dress along the sides. "Well, maybe we'll all meet again sometime. If not, here is my number." She reached into a little bag she had been tugging along, and pulled out a thin rectangular shape card, and handed it to Yaito, who took it. "Goodbye, now, you two."

"Goodbye," Yaito and Glyde had said in semi-unison.

Yuri smiled, and walked off, vanishing within the crowd. Yaito watched her go, and then she turned her attention to the card between her fingers. **Yuri Brightoff, The Navi Program Enterprise**, the card read in bold print. Below was her insignia, which was a simple curled line that swirled, and dropped sharply down. Next to that was the company's e-mail and number. Her private number was already written on it, which was strange, as if she had already anticipated that she would give someone tonight her card.

"Hmm," Yaito hummed in her throat.

"Yaito-_sama_?"

"What?"

"Anything the matter?"

Yaito showed him the card. "Glyde, she wrote her number on this card," she stated.

Glyde stared at the slip of thin paper, noticing the cursive handwriting of her private cell number. "Huh, interesting," he said simply.

"Isn't that a little strange?"

"I would say so. But, perhaps Brightoff-_san_ had meant to give it to someone else, but decided to give it to you."

"Why would she do that?"

"I am unsure."

It was strange to be randomly passing out one's private number, but Yaito slipped the card into the inside of her dress, for safe-keeping. With no one else to talk to, she searched for either her father, Sabrina, or Megan. She found her father.

"Ah, my little girl," her father called, arms wide, and in his hand was a cigar.

"Hey, Daddy," she returned, walking into his embrace.

"Father," Glyde said simply.

"Glyde, been looking after my little girl?"

"As always."

He let out a rumble of a laugh. "Atta boy," he said, giving Glyde a wide smile. Her father stunk of cognac and cigar smoke, and it permeated from his being, killing his soft, wild flower-smelling cologne. "So, what have you two been up to?"

"Just talking, we saw Sabrina and Megan here," Yaito stated.

"Really?" he asked, utterly surprised. "Why, I haven't seen them in years. Where are they?"

"I don't know, now," Yaito answered. "They introduced me to Yuri Brightoff, and they were gone to get drinks."

Now this got her father's attention. "Yuri Brightoff? She was here?"

"Yes," Yaito stated, slipping her hand into her dress pocket to pull out the card. "She gave this to me."

He plucked the card from his daughter's nimble fingers, staring at it. "Hmm, was she nice?" he asked, arching a brow.

"Oh, yes. A very nice woman."

Her father returned the card to her. "Well, perhaps we may talk sometime," he said. "I have always wanted to do business with her, but she's always busy when I try to call." He laughed at the irony. "And just to think: she was here and I missed her."

Yaito laughed. "Maybe we can call her," she said, staring at the card. "She did give me her private number."

"Oh, is that what that is?"

"Yes."

"Interesting." He took a final puff on his cigar before snuffing it out on a nearby table's ashtray. "Well, I suppose you can contact her using that."

Yaito returned the card to its original place. "Yeah, I guess she wouldn't mind doing business with us," she said, reaching up to lock arms with her father. She only stepped away to gag on the scent of smoke and raw spirits on him, which caused her father to laugh.

"Too strong?" he asked, taking a whiff of his jacket.

"A little," Yaito replied. The smell of cognac made her stomach turn ever since her moronic cousins decided to pour it into her tea one day. She didn't know why it tasted so bad at the time, but she couldn't stop drinking it until she was acting like the stereotypical happy drunk. The next morning, she had a horrible headache that wouldn't go away, and it was then when she found out that they had poured half of a ninety proof bottle of cognac into her tea. Her father was terribly outraged and threw the whole family out, and Glyde (and a few maids) had tended to her for the day. Yaito then swore that she would never drink.

"Sorry, princess," her father said as he patted the top of her head.

She frowned, brows knitted, but she then sighed. And in the background, a band began to play a soft tune as the party continued on into the late of night.


End file.
